Mayor Eric Adams threw a wild, yet still official, first pitch Saturday to usher in the grand opening of Washington Heights’ very first indoor baseball center.

The center’s opening was part of the city’s popular Saturday Night Lights program, an effort to keep kids engaged in positive activities, and out of trouble.

“When we talk about public safety, it’s not only what our police officers are doing every day,” Adams said. “It’s how do we prevent crime? And you prevent it by giving opportunities to young people because if they have a baseball bat in their hand and a glove in their hand, they won’t have a nine millimeter in their hand.”

The new indoor baseball center had previously been an underutilized basketball court inside the Armory Center housing the Police Athletic League on Fort Washington Avenue.

Emmett Ulloa, 12, said he dreams of being a baseball player and can’t wait to play year-round.

“I’d always have to practice outside and during the winter, I could barely practice because my dad never had time to take me anywhere,” Ulloa said. “Now that I can stay here and be here by myself with all my coaches and everyone that surrounds me, it’s life changing.”

The city currently offers free youth sports programming as part of its weekly Saturday Night Lights program to more than 4,500 young people at 136 locations across the five boroughs.

Emily Campos, the program’s coordinator for youth and community development, says she stayed out of trouble as a young girl by taking part in a Saturday Night Lights soccer program. She said she’s proud to be one of the program’s many success stories.

“I think it helped change me around. I got to meet some incredible coaches and mentors. And I that is what this program is for. These kids are going to be the future. And I hope one day maybe they can run the program themselves,” Campos said.

Adams says the new facility was paid for in part with money obtained from drug forfeitures. He says the hope is to build indoor baseball centers in all five boroughs.